Returning Lahaina Intermediate students greeted with cheers
DOE officials said the students started their day with grade-level orientation assemblies followed by a rotating class schedule to meet all of their teachers. Read more
Local
Tears, music, anxiety mark Lahainaluna High reopening
Lahainaluna High School students who returned to their campus Monday for the first time since the Maui fires encountered a deep swirl of feelings: relief at coming back after more than two months away, worry over safety as well as heartache of schooling so close to the burn zone, and lingering grief for homes and loved ones lost to the disaster, including their classmate Keyiro Fuentes. Read more
HPU and Zippy’s expand to ‘ninth island’
Two longtime Hawaii institutions, Hawaii Pacific University and Zippy’s Restaurants, coincidentally chose the same day to make landmark announcements about their unrelated first-time expansions outside the state — to Hawaii’s “ninth island,” Las Vegas. Read more
Resource fair to support Maui families
Maui families, especially those returning to Lahaina campuses in the wake of the wildfires, are invited to attend the Maui ‘Ohana Resource Fair, to be presented Thursday by the state Department of Education and community partners. Read more
University of Hawaii building renamed for former bank exec Dods following $5M gift
Former First Hawaiian Bank Chairman Walter A. Dods Jr. is donating $5 million to the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s new Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs project. Read more
DOE safety guidance issued for reopening 3 Maui schools
A six-tier, color-coded “Air Quality Action Plan for Schools,” with recommended steps for differing levels of air quality ranging from “good” to “hazardous,” is part of a 16-page DOE document titled “Health & Safety Guidance for Reopening Lahaina Schools, Fall 2023.” Read more
University of Hawaii student musicians pay tribute to Maui
The UH Wind Ensemble, which includes about 45 members, will perform “Lahainaluna” at the University of Hawaii Bands Fall Concert, at 4 p.m. at the Michael D. Nakasone Performing Arts Center in Pearl City. Read more
DOE outlines safety plan as Lahaina schools set to reopen
As Lahaina’s three remaining public schools open to teachers today for the first time since the Aug. 8 wildfire, and their students return on a staggered schedule starting Oct. 16, state education officials announced that a new “safety plan” has been created in case of emergencies and evacuations, 300 air filters are being distributed to classrooms and offices, and each campus will have a “designated administrator” responsible for daily monitoring of air quality. Read more
Hawaii school board OK’s requests for bigger operating, facilities budgets
The state school board on Wednesday approved requests to the state Legislature for an additional $198.2 million for the Hawaii public schools’ operating budget and an added $273 million for capital improvement projects for next fiscal year. Read more
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Workforce Development Hero Award recognizes outstanding people
Gov. Josh Green has announced the awardees and finalists of the inaugural Workforce Development Hero Awards in recognition of “outstanding work in elevating the state’s workforce to its highest potential.” Read more
Lahaina parents, teachers call for safety monitoring for students
Many West Maui families and educators doubt that the three Lahaina public schools reopening in October are as safe as officials say, and they want to see stronger monitoring for toxic substances and emergency and evacuation plans set up well before students and employees return, according to numerous testifiers at an emotional public meeting Thursday. Read more
Lassner setting goals for final 15 months as UH president
University of Hawaii President David Lassner says that when he recently announced that he’ll retire in late 2024 and wrote that meanwhile “anyone who expects me to act like a ‘lame duck’ will be sorely disappointed,” he did not mean that as any metaphorical shot fired across the bow of certain state lawmakers who have publicly said they want him to resign. Read more
Lahaina schools to reopen to students in October
Lahainaluna High, Lahaina Intermediate and Princess Nahienaena Elementary schools in Lahaina will reopen to students in a phased plan after the October fall break now that their soil, water and air have been deemed safe, and monitoring will continue, state and federal officials have announced. Read more
2 Hawaii schools are named National Blue Ribbon Schools
Kaelepulu and Maunawili elementary schools have been named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education in recognition of their students’ high academic achievement, and will be celebrated in a November ceremony in Washington, D.C. Read more
UH fundraising dips, but still tops $100M mark
Money raised by the University of Hawaii Foundation to benefit UH students, programs and research amounted to $103.6 million for the 2022-2023 fiscal year — a decrease of more than one-third compared with the previous year. Read more
Lahaina’s Sacred Hearts School brings hope, education to temporary site
Resuming school routines like this in the aftermath of such a traumatic disaster is crucial to help the children find some semblance of normalcy, said Sacred Hearts Principal Tonata Lolesio. Read more
‘First day’ for Maui public school students displaced by wildfire
For nearly 600 Maui public school students displaced by the closure of their schools by the Lahaina wildfire, Thursday was a “first day of school” like none other. Read more
New online report gives DOE updates on Lahaina schools
A new online status report on Maui public schools and students affected by the Aug. 8 wildfires — including campus safety testing of soil, water and air at three closed campuses in Lahaina, and reopening plans — was made live by the state Department of Education on Wednesday and will be kept updated, officials said. Read more
Maui Prep becomes a shelter and distribution hub for fire survivors
The school’s extraordinary saga began with a police officer’s late-night knock on a door. Read more
Heavy traffic expected Saturday in Manoa for UH football game
Kick-off is at 6 p.m., and traffic is expected to start to increase in the early afternoon in both directions of the H-1 Freeway. Read more
Effort to track Maui students still frustrating
Some state school board members and public testifiers alike expressed continued frustration Thursday with what they see as slow and confusing public communication from the state Department of Education on the status of the 3,001 public school students displaced by the Lahaina wildfire. Read more
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